Thrashing-machine



2 She'etsShee:t 2. 7

(No Model.)

'. s. F. STAFFORD. THRASHING MACHINE.

Patented 001;. -1, 1895.

a M M w amab/ SPENCER r. STAFFORD, OFERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

THRASl-llNG-MACl-HNE.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,1 90, dated October1, 1895.

Application filed April 9,1895? Serial No. 545,038. (No model.)

chines; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, forming part of this specification. Myinvention consists in theimprovement in thrashing-machineshereinafterset forth and explained, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a t'opor planviewof myi'mprovedthrashing-machine,parts thereof being broken awayfij Figi2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation, on an enlargedscale, of the central portion of the metal plates band bf of one end ofthe cylinder-casing with the bracket and journal box whichitsupportssecured thereto. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectionthrough the same on the line of the center of said box, the

shaft and pulleys Gand I being shown in po{ sition for use. Fig. 5 is adetail top or plan view of one of the journal-box supportingbracketsseparate, showing the elongated holes therein to allow for theadjustment longitudi nally of the box secured thereon.

Heretofore in the construction of cylindershaft bearings forthrashing'machines great difficulty has arisen on account of thethickness of the casing and bearing-supporting frame at the end of thecylinder in getting the driving-pulley close enough to the end of thecylinder, so as to prevent too much leverage and strain from the tensionof the belt driving the cylinder. To overcome this difficulty is theleading object of my invention; and it has for its further objects theimprovements in the details of construction and arrangement of the shaftand bearing-supports which permit the driving-pulley and the pulley fortransmitting motion to the other mech= anism of the machine to besuccessfully used on the same end of said cylinder-shaft out side itsbearing, which has not been practical in other constructions because ofthe necessity of mounting them so far from the hearing on the projectingend of the shaft that the twist and strain and consequent wear upon saidshaft and bearings would be excessive and very destructive thereto,rendering the arrangement impracticable. In myimproved construction Ihave overcome these difficulties by using thin steel plates, firmlybolted to the frame of the machine for casing in the ends of thecylinder, and upon thelower halves of these plates I firmly boltbrackets, upon which I mount the cylinder-shaft bearings. Said bearingsproject outwardly from the supporting-plates the greater part of theirlength, as shown, which permits the driving-pulleys to be mounted on theshaft with its rim projecting inwardly over. the outer end of saidbearing, the end of the hub of the pulley and said end of the bearingbeing close to each other. Bythis arrangement the strain from thedriving-belt is brought partially over and within the bearing and thewear therefrom reduced to such an extent that it becomes practical todrive the other mechanism of the machine from the same end of the shaftby means of another pulley mounted thereon outside said driving-pulley.I also arrange the belts so that the driving-belt and the belt end fromwhich it is to be transmitted to the other mechanism, all of the beltsand pulleys in use being thus ordinarily on the same end of the machine.It will be observed, however, that the arrangement whereby a drivingbelt may be applied to the driving-pulley at either end of thecylinder-shaft will some times be of great advantage, which advantage isa feature of my improved construction.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, A is the top ofthe cy1indercasing, and B the side thereof, and A the top of the casingof the rear portion of the ma chine, and B the side thereof, and it willbe observed that the portion of the casing inclosing the cylinder isnarrower than the rear portion of the machine, this feature being anordinary and usual feature of the construction of thrashing-machines Theportion of the part B inclosing the ends of the cylinder 0 I make ofsections 1) and b of steel plates firmly bolted to the upright posts Dand D of the machine frame, the remainder of the part B above and belowthe plates 6 and I) being cased up in the usual manner. To the outsideof the plate I) I bolt a bracket E, which projects outward therefrom andis pro vided with a depression c in the upper surface thereof to receivethe lower half of a cylinder-shaft box F. A depression b correspondingto the depression 6 in the bracket E is also cut through the upper edgeof the plate 1),- and an opening 5 is out through the lower edge of theplate I) (see Figs. 3 and 4) to permit the box-sections F and l?" to bemoved inwardly toward the end of the cylinder, as desired, thebolt-holes e in said bracket being slotted for that purpose. Thisconstruction enables me to locate driving-pulleys G and G on thecylindershaft l-I, so that the outer ends of said pulleys aresubstantially on a line With the outsides of the parts D D to which theside casing 13 of the rear portion of the machine is secured. I thenplace a pulley I on the end of the cylinder-shaft H outside of one ofthe driving-pulleys G thereon, which pulley I is then out far enough tobe in line with the beater-pulley J, the shaker-pulley K, and thefan-pulley L, so that by the use of a small idler-pulley M, I am enabledto drive all of these parts of the machinery by means of a single beltN, the tension of which is directly opposite that of the driving-belt Oon the cylinder-pulley G.

Having thus fully described my invention, so as to enable others toconstruct and operate the'sarne, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

In a thrashing machine, the combination of the cylinder casing each endwhereof is com posed of thin sheet metal plates one above the other, abracket for the shaft boxes bolted to the outer face of each lower plateat its top edge, said brackets being formed with a depression in theirtop faces, and a corresponding notch being formed in the adjacent edgeof the plate to which each is bolted, and a notch correspondingin formto the outer con tour of the upper half of the box being formed in thelower edge of each plate which constitute the upper part of the ends ofsaid casing, said shaft boxes mounted one in each of said brackets to beadjusted longitudinally therein, their inner ends being adapted toproject within the apertures in the ends of the casing formed by thesaid notches in said plates, the shaft mounted in said boxes, a drivingpulley mounted on each end of said shaft to overhang the outer ends ofsaid boxes, and a pulley for transmitting motion to the other mechanismmounted alongside one of said driving pulleys, all substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SPENCER F. STAFFORD.

\Vitnesses:

FRED EINFELDT, C. B. HAYES.

